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China's population

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China's population
China's top decision-making body announced in late October that it would relax the one-child policy, a controversial birth control measure Beijing introduced officially in the early 1980s to curb population growth. But demographers say the easing in the rules will not do much to rebalance China's ageing population.
A smoker in Yichang city, Hubei province on May 31, 2025. China is home to about 350 million smokers, according to the WHO. Photo: CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images
China consumption

China has the most smokers in the world. Is it harming the economy?

Public health experts warn low taxes on cigarettes risk undermining Beijing’s pursuit of a healthier population.

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Ageing society

Opinion | East Asia’s population challenge isn’t just about raising birth rates

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Mainland China

How Shenzhen’s growing population defies expectations in China’s changing cities

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China's economic recovery

China expands migrant workers’ access to public services

SCMP Plus annotates the State Council’s 13-point guidelines for easing restrictions under the nation’s hukou household registration system.

China expands migrant workers’ access to public services
China's ageing population

China’s population over 65 outnumbers children for first time since 1949: survey

At the end of last year, 15.87 per cent of China’s population was aged at least 65, compared with 15.25 per cent aged between 0 and 14.

China birth rate

China to start certifying cities and workplaces as ‘birth-friendly’

Campaign aims to name 40 cities and 200 workplaces as being supportive of childbirth every three years.

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China economy

China’s marriage numbers plunge to Covid-era low as population woes deepen

Fewer than 1.7 million couples tied the knot in the first quarter, the lowest total for the same period since lockdown-dominated 2020.

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A newlywed couple takes a selfie with their marriage certificates at a marriage registration office in China’s northern Henan province. Photo: Getty Images
China economy

Why Gen Z is abandoning Beijing for greener fields elsewhere in China

The percentage of the capital’s population aged between 20 and 29 plunged from 21.3 per cent in 2015 to 11.4 per cent in 2024.

Shanghai

‘It’s a new crowd’: how Shanghai’s expat population is recovering – and changing

Four years ago, Shanghai’s draconian lockdown sparked an exodus of foreigners. Now, there are signs the city’s expat community is slowly bouncing back.

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US-China relations

The ageing dilemma: why robots can’t save us but China-US cooperation might

US medical anthropologist Arthur Kleinman looks for path out of a social paradox: longer lives without a defined social role.

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Arthur Kleinman, a founding father of modern medical anthropology, says retirees in China may face decades without a defined social purpose. Photo: Shutterstock
Hong Kong society

Opinion | Hong Kong is getting its population policy assumptions all wrong

Rather than encouraging more births, Hong Kong should align its family-related policies with the Greater Bay Area’s demographic system.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
China's economic recovery

Open Questions | How China can avoid a repeat of Japan’s ‘lost decades’

Bai Chongen, an economist and adviser to China’s government, explains how the country can dodge ‘Japanification’ and why its economic rise is misunderstood.

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China birth rate

In China, a France-sized population loss begins to test coastal powerhouses

Rising pension burdens and social security subsidies are also straining public finances – though trends remain uneven, analysts say.

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China jobs

China’s youth unemployment crunch deepens as record graduation season looms

China’s official youth jobless rate climbed to 16.9 per cent in March, with another 12.7 million graduates set to enter the job market this summer.

A jobseeker meets with a recruiter at a job fair in Shanghai on April 9. The job fair was for aged-care services. Nearly 50 organisations and enterprises offered more than 100 opportunities. Photo: Xinhua
China jobs

Shanghai mobilises seniors to work longer amid China’s demographic crisis

With one in three residents above retirement age, Shanghai’s 28-department plan aims to mobilise retirees to offset shrinking payrolls and rising pension strains.

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A group of older Chinese people gather at Shanghai’s Fuxing Park. The city is now encouraging seniors to return to work. Photo: Shutterstock
China consumption

Xi Jinping backs services sector to power China’s next growth phase

Beijing is counting on services to rebalance growth as it faces economic headwinds and demographic challenges.

China society

Opinion | Why China’s AI automation push is a risky social experiment

Without reforms to improve wages, housing access and childcare, automation could entrench a low-fertility crisis and destabilise the social contract.

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China jobs

China’s youth unemployment falls for sixth consecutive month in February

But young job-hunters say they are still struggling to find work in a testing post-holiday labour market amid rising global economic uncertainty.

Young people line up at career guidance booths during a job fair in Beijing on March 14 as China’s youth unemployment rate grows amid a testing post-holiday labour market. Photo: Reuters
China technology

Can AI help China cushion economic fallout from its rapidly ageing population?

As fertility rates fall, Asian economies face a daunting challenge – sustaining growth with fewer workers.

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China consumption

Beijing urged to boost rural pensions as lawmakers fight for farmers’ fair share

Appeals highlight a long-standing lack of benefits for elderly citizens outside cities, and proposals include leveraging state assets and new taxes to bridge the vast disparity.

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South Korea

China and South Korea team up on a vexing issue: their fast-ageing populations

After years of tense relations, the two nations are finding common ground over their need to adapt to an era of ‘super-aged societies’.

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An elderly resident interacts with a humanoid robot at a care home in Shenzhen, China’s southern Guangdong province. Photo: Xinhua
China birth rate

Glimmer of hope? Why China’s marriage uptick could spark 2026 birth rebound

Double-digit jump in registration rate, boosted by policy and cultural tradition, offers modest upturn, but demographers are wary of weak fertility intentions.

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A couple participates in a group wedding in August, in China’s Guangdong province. Photo: Getty Images
China society

Opinion | A loneliness crisis is the price China is paying for rapid modernisation

As migrant workers head home for the Lunar New Year break, it is a good time to reflect on how the loneliness that has gripped Chinese society can be alleviated.

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Hong Kong population

Opinion | Boost birth rates? Governments should focus on the population they have

Instead of growing the population at all costs, governments should be practically addressing longer life expectancies.

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Video | Other policies such as offering prenatal checks to retirees have been mocked online

Other policies such as offering prenatal checks to retirees have been mocked online.

Deepdive birthrate
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Chinese overseas

China’s brain gain: overseas grads plug into domestic frontiers, powering future

Record jump in returnees seen reflecting confidence in some domestic opportunities, particularly in areas such as AI, advanced manufacturing.

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A rising percentage of overseas-educated talent is returning to China to work after earning foreign degrees. Photo: Shutterstock
Mainland China

Silver bullet: New Oriental strategy pivots to China’s silver economy

China’s leading private education firm tests new growth paths, amid demographic shifts and softer demand for US-bound study.

China's economic recovery

Open Questions | Lawrence Lau’s recipe for China? More school, higher pay

Economist on how China can improve its workforce, why it needs more basic research and the benefits a unified market in the Greater Bay Area would bring.

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